Go Beyond Boring: Creating Scenario-based Learning That Engages Participants (Podcast)
Listen to the recording to learn why scenario-based learning engages participants, including how to “hook” learners and draw them into the story.
Instructional Design
Consider 4 Cs in Scenario-Based Learning
When creating scenario-based learning, consider 4 Cs: characters, context, challenge, and consequences.
Cutscenes in Branching Scenarios
Borrow from video game design to create cutscenes in branching scenarios: short scenes that move the plot forward without requiring interaction.
What Challenges Do Your Characters Face?
A story with no challenges is boring and won’t engage your learners. When we use stories for learning, the challenges should mimic the kinds of issues learners will face in their real workplace. You don’t need an evil villain in your story, but you do need obstacles to overcome.
Podcast: Instructional Design Certificate or Master’s Degree
Listen to the recording of my conversation about instructional design certificates and master’s degrees with Luis Malbas and the TLDC community.
Upcoming Events Spring 2020
I have several upcoming events scheduled where I will present on scenario-based learning, certifications, and lessons learned in freelancing.
What’s Your Character’s Goal?
Scenarios for learning should include several critical elements: a protagonist or main character, that character’s goal, and the challenges that character faces. The main character’s goal is what drives the scenario. All of the action and decisions in the scenario move you closer or further from that goal.
Protagonists Should Be Like Your Learners
In stories for learning, the protagonist should be someone your learners identify with, a person with similar goals and challenges.
How many options in branching scenario decisions?
How many options do you need in a branching scenario for each decision point? What number gives the best balance of realism and manageable complexity?
Learner Engagement: Behavioral, Cognitive, & Affective
While elearning often focuses on the behavioral aspect of learner engagement, our designs also affect cognitive and affective engagement.